The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-03-31
PROHIBITION MEETING LAST
NIGHT.
Large Attendance and Strong
Speech by Rev. DR.. Fisher.

The court house was we'll filled by our
citizens and members of the legislature
last evening, to hear the address of Rev.
DR.. Fisher, who discussed for an hour the
subject of prohibition in relation to its
effects upon the commercial and indus
trial interests of the city and state.
The speaker was introduced by Mr.. j.
B. Golf, of the local executive committee,
and commenced his address By referring
to the erroneous waste of capital, con-
sumed by liquor drinking, quoting sta,
tistics to show that above nine hundred
million dollars are annually diverted from
the legitimate lines of trade
in the United States alone, by reason
of the existence of saloons. He referred
to the recent report of the labor commit
tee of the United States senate, in which
it is stated that careful research demon
strates that one-tenth of the net earnings
of the laborlng men of this country, or
$640,O00,00O year, is spent for liquors,
and this virtually wasted by them, and to
the merchants and tradesmen with whom
they deal.
study of saloon patronage shows that
seventeen regular patrons, and consid-
cradle number of transient drinkers are
necessary to the support OF the aver
age saloon. Taking it that
twelve of the seventeen are
married men, at least six of the mum
Der neglect to properly provide for their
families the clothing, furniture, carpets,
boots and shoes, groceries, ETC., necessary
to their comfort, and the merchants are
alDoOst npfiraIu nhaata1 90 ho
ings of these, and are deprived, in part,
of the trade of the remainder. In this
manner legitimate lines of trade lose far
beyond what would appear at first glance
to be a reasonable per cent. of the float
ing circulation of the city and state.
Business men stand aloof from the
prohibition question for fear of general
injury to trade; whereas, it is
a demonstratable and demonstrated fact
that through the liquor traffic an
enormous amount of money is annually
diverted from their stores. Personal in.
vestlgation in Austin to-day, among the
merchants, gives forth the fact that the
largest sales of goods are of the medium
grades, to the masses, whether of grocer
les, clothing, furniture or other staples.
and that 1t Is upon these grades of goods
IN general that the best profits are made.
1t follows, OF necessity,that it is straight
matter of business with the merchant and
tradesmen to aid in restoring the money
which Is drunk up, to lines of trade which
are more OF necessity to human exist.
ence and comfort.
Inc speaker referred to the result of
prohibition in Kansas, affirming them to be
so salutary as to have won over to the cause
thousands of citizens who were formerly
against 1t, including the present governor
ana other prominent men. In Leaven-
worth the last town to give up the fight,
Sooye TWO hundred saloons closed their
doors recently, and property and business
at once took on wonderful boom. Tn
topeka and Atchison and other cities
wnere the law was fought long and vigor-
OuSiy' all the saloons are now closed. In
lodge City and Wichita and Newton and
Ellsworth, where graveyards have been